Helen North

My biography written by Jamie Polychrones (Author of "Who is Who in American Literature")

She writes amazing stories in English. And she finds it much easier to do so than writing in her native tongue, Norwegian. Helen North has mastered a language she learned later in life, and that’s proven by the publishing of her two books in English. She credits her ability to the fact that English has more words and structure to play with. Helen is a certified teacher, though she isn’t currently teaching. She’s riding the tails of her success as a published author.

As a matter of fact, Helen didn’t even enjoy writing when she was younger. She grew up in Kristiansand, Norway, and moved to Odda, Norway, when she was 15. She disliked writing essays in her younger years, but after she took classes at the university in her 30s, she discovered that she had matured into a person who actually loved writing. That sparked her desire to write a book.

Helen began her quest with a children’s book that she never ended up publishing. She passed it around to friends and read it to her own son, but it never made its way to the shelves, despite the positive feedback she received from it. It was a good jumping-off point for her to begin her new career as a published author. While learning this about herself, she traveled and lived in many places. But when it was time to settle down, she moved back to her home town in Kristiansand in her 30s. Her children’s book didn’t come to fruition until she was in her early 40s.

Fiction is what Helen writes best. She doesn’t have plans to branch out to any other genres yet, but you never know what the future will hold. She writes when she’s not busy doing other things, unless she feels inspired. She follows her story to wherever it takes her, which she considers the easiest part of writing. Helen plans to write her best work before she dies because she’s pretty sure she hasn’t written it yet.

Diary of a Norwegian Cougar is Helen’s first published book. A woman turning 50 discovers a whole new world while experiencing a midlife crisis. This saucy, intriguing book will leave

you thirsty for more. Thank goodness Helen wrote a follow-up to her first book. Diary of a Norwegian Cougar: The New Adventures takes place a year later, but her character is having just as much fun as she was the first time around.

If you know Helen, you might recognize her in her main character. While she wasn’t trying to model her character after herself, little bits of her personality and experiences crept in anyway.

At least that’s what her friends think. Whatever the case, it worked. Helen’s work is featured in many newspapers and TV stations. She has even given an interview at a local radio station. Today, she travels all over the world to book fairs, where she promotes her book and becomes even more famous than she already is in her hometown.

You might find Helen North in a coffee bar, struggling to focus on her writing while people who pass by engage her in conversation. But those interactions provide fodder for her writing, and

she enjoys the ambiance of the location, sometimes letting her mind drift to take in her local surroundings. Where she really hopes you see her, though, is on the The Graham Norton Show. That’s her next goal as an author, and her followers have no doubt she’ll achieve it.